The GO Fest remains in the minds of many Pokémon GO trainers – but not in a particularly positive way. For the poor experience, the developers now apologize to players with in-game currency and a legendary Pokémon.
The developers did not expect this: The Pokémon GO Fest for the anniversary of the mobile hit was intended to be a nice celebration for players and developers. Instead, the team seemed just as overwhelmed as a year ago, when the game was released and suffered from server problems for weeks.
Niantic now apologizes to the players who were on site in Chicago for the poor experience.
Team was “appalled” by the fest
Over the weekend, the GO Fest in Chicago took place. A spectacle with over 20,000 trainers on site, a stage program, a DJ and challenges for the trainers. What was planned as a grand celebration is now just a bad memory for many trainers. The reason: severe bugs and server problems that kept the trainers from playing.
Even for Niantic’s developers, the fest was a shock.
A spokesperson for Niantic told the press that the team cannot undo what has happened. However, they emphasize once again that they are unhappy with the course and results of the event and apologize to all trainers. They are now trying to learn from the mistakes made at the GO Fest.
“The team here on site is appalled. We want to make it right as quickly as possible,” they said.
During the event, it became clear how unhappy the visiting trainers were with the event. During the live stream, one could hear chants that drowned out the stage program. They repeatedly shouted “We can’t play!” while gameplay from Pokémon GO was shown on the screen.
A summary of the fest and its problems can be found here: Pokémon GO fest is a legendary mess
PokéCoins worth $100 and legendary Pokémon as compensation
On the official Pokémon GO site, the team expresses its apologies again. Although they managed to get the technical problems under control, they could not provide the local trainers with the desired positive experience. Therefore, the following steps have been initiated, which apply to the trainers who were on site in Chicago and registered for the fest:
- All registered participants of the GO Fest can get a full refund of their ticket price. Participants will receive information about this via email.
- All registered participants will also receive PokéCoins worth $100.
- Special Pokémon, eggs, and the Check-In PokéStops in Chicago will remain available for use beyond the fest with increased reach.
- Additionally, all registered fest participants will receive the legendary Pokémon “Lugia” added to their collection.
We also have a Pokémon GO event coming soon. The Safari Zone brings regional Pokémon to Germany
